As the children begin to have fun playing Reversi, I could hear voices saying things like, "Um, put it here," "Ah, there," "Got the edge," and "Then this is the other edge."
I thought it might be a little noisy, but the people around me looked on with great interest.
It seemed like they were curious.
A boy who was with his mother left his seat and approached the children playing Reversi.
Then he started watching someone playing Reversi nearby.
The children at the orphanage must have noticed, because they asked the boy, "Do you want to try?" When the boy replied, "Yes," a child sitting to one side offered his seat to the boy and they began playing Reversi.
Oh, that feels good.
The children placed the stones while chatting happily.
The smiling faces of the children who participated could be seen even from far away.
After a while, the boy's mother also arrived.
The circle continued to expand.
"I want to try it too."
"I want to try it too."
"I have Reversi at home."
I also heard voices such as:
As kids started to get interested, their parents started to get interested too.
After the match was over, players were given a simple paper Reversi.
It seemed they remembered that they had properly told everyone to give them a simple version of Reversi if they didn't have one.
"It seems to be going well, doesn't it." (Karin)
Karin-san was coming.
"I was worried about what I would do if no one was interested, but I'm glad we did." (Yuna)
"I actually played it with Elena-san too, and it was fun. It's just a game of flipping stones." (Karin)
Sometimes it's just simple that it's interesting.
"Even if you were winning up until that point, the moment they place another stone, you can lose the game in an instant. Well, the opposite can also happen." (Karin)
"If you enjoyed it, I'm happy too." (Yuna)
As Karin-san and I watched the kids playing Reversi, a voice rose.
"Ugh, I lost."
It seemed the boy who said he had Reversi played a game, but apparently lost.
The boy I was up against was someone I thought was strong.
It seemed it wasn't a lie or just a bluff.
"One more time!"
The boy who lost asked for a rematch.
He use his frustration as a springboard to do his best, I thought to myself in my heart.
Today was fine, but there might be someone else who wanted to fight next time, so we might have to think about a rematch.
Even though they were lined up, it was like they were having it all to themshelves.
It was important to keep the order.
When I told Karin-san about this, she said, "I'll make a sign that says, 'If there are people in line, please take turns.'"
I told them that if they had any other concerns or things they need to be aware of, they could write them down.
There were things that I didn't notice, but I could notice them from Karin-san's or the children's perspective.
Karin-san said, "I understand," and went back to work.
Now Lianna-san had come in to replace Karin-san.
"I got worried so I came to check it out." (Lianna)
Saying this, she turned her attention to the children watching Reversi.
"It seems to be going well, doesn't it?" (Lianna)
"Thanks to you." (Yuna)
"I hope this will attract more participants to the tournament and make it even more exciting." (Lianna)
"You can register for the tournament through the Commercial Guild, right?" (Yuna)
It was also written on the poster.
"Yes" (Lianna)
"Maybe we should have a registration here too. Just name, age, and gender." (Yuna)
All they had to do was fill in these three things.
"I appreciate it, but won't it be a burden on the store?" (Lianna)
It's a hassle to be asked to apply while you're at work, let alone playing Reversi.
"In that case, we should set up a questionnaire box." (Yuna)
"A questionnaire box?" (Lianna)
"We'll have paper and pens ready, and if you want to participate, you can write your name, age, and gender and put it in a box. That way, it won't be too much trouble." (Yuna)
There was something similar in my original world.
"If that's the case, it seems fine, you see. I'll go back and get ready." (Lianna)
Lianna-san thanked me and left the store.
As for me, I ended up staying until the store closed.
Surprisingly, there were a lot of kids playing Reversi and looking at the posters.
If things continued like this, we might be able to get a lot of people to come to the children's section.
I headed to Tilmina-san's house to take Shuri home.
Shuri grabbed my bear puppet.
"How was it?" (Yuna)
"it was fun" (Shuri)
Shuri also worked hard to teach the children how to play and even some played against her.
"How was the match?" (Yuna)
"it is……" (Shuri)
Well, I was watching from afar, but I could tell from Shuri's expression.
"I've won some times, but I've lost to the kid who taught me how to do it." (Shuri)
Shuri looked a little sad.
"Next time, just win." (Yuna)
"Yeah!" (Shuri)
Even if you lose, you don't die, so having fun is the winner.
I dropped off Shuri at home and then headed home myself.
Then I went to the store for the first three days to see what was going on.
Reversi tables started to become popular.
They ranged from beginners to experienced.
Some people did it while chatting, while others did it seriously.
Distribution of the simple Reversi paper game was also going smoothly.
A mother with children lets her children play reversi while eating cake with friends.
I wanted to say that this wasn't a nursery school, but there was nothing I could do about it.
As I looked towards Reversi, I could hear a conversation coming from the table where the three mothers were gathered.
"Since we bought Reversi, my son has been asking my husband to play with him."
"At my place too."
"My husband said he's going to buy a real Reversi on his next day off."
That's good news.
"We bought one the other day and use it almost every day. It's made things a lot quieter."
"It's the same for us. We were making a lot of noise at home, so this is a relief."
"What's more, my husband is taking it so seriously, saying that he can't lose as a father, so it's strange."
A few more days later.
"My son said he wanted to enter the tournament, and then my husband did too."
"Me too. I'm having more conversations with my son and it seems like he's having fun."
"That's right. My daughter wanted a stuffed bear and begged her brother to win."
Kumayuru and Kumakyu stuffed animals?
"Then my son said, 'All-you-can-eat would be better,' and we got into a big argument."
"What, a stuffed bear?"
I looked where the wives were.
The prizes for first, second, and third place were the Kumayuru and Kumakyu stuffed animals.
By the way, it was placed in a glass case so there were proper anti-theft measures in place.
"Is that bear the owner of this store?"
The wives glanced in my direction.
I had been looking at them out of the corner of my eye, but now I turned my gaze away and just listened.
"I've seen the bears together."
"I saw it too. Kids ran up to them and touched them."
"Are they okay?"
"I was surprised at first, but there were other kids there and they were docile."
That's what happened.
I was glad that people didn't get scared when they see Kumayuru and Kumakyu, but it was a problem that people gathered around them.
If this were any other city, maybe they would call in the security guards and it would be a big problem.
Well, I guess that's normal if there are bears in the city.
"The owner of this store is a bear, so this store is about bears, after all."
I want to deny that.
At first, I didn't intend to turn the store into bears.
I was just going to start a regular bakery.
"They look great and the bear they're carrying around with them. They really do love bears."
That's true, but it's not true.
"But my son has seen how docile the bear is and is starting to think that bears aren't dangerous animals."
"My daughter said the same thing. She said, 'The bear was so cute.'"
I'm sorry about that.
"For now, I've told them not to approach any other bears they may encounter."
"To be honest, I've never seen or encountered any other bears."
You'll never see a wild bear in the city.
The same applied for the forest.
If anything, an encounter with a wolf would be more likely.
"If I had a bear like that, I'd love it and it would be so cute."
One of the wives looks at the bear figurines around her.
"Plus, the food here is delicious and the prices are just right."
"There's also bread that kids will enjoy, you see."
"Bear bread, right?"
"My daughter picked out the bear bread herself, but she would say it would be a shame for her to eat it, and she would refuse to eat it. But now she eats it normally, so it's strange."
The wives cried out in laughter.
Certainly, something similar had happened at the orphanage.
But now they ate bear bread normally.
After a while, the wives took their children and went home.
Eavesdropping is not good, but I heard it, so I guess there's nothing I can do, right?
Speaking of participants, the number was steadily increasing.
As expected, there were a lot of children.
"Yuna-san, Reversi sales are also increasing steadily." (Lianna)
Lianna-san, who came to collect the tournament entry forms, happily reported to me.
Apparently, people who had played with the simple Reversi that Tilmina-san had distributed at home started talking about buying a proper version, and the number of people coming to buy it had increased.
"Even if people don't come to the tournament, it will still feel like a success, right?" (Yuna)
"I'm going to do it. I'm going to make it a success." (Lianna)
Well, I'd rather succeed than fail.
If the number of participants was low, maybe we could ask children from an orphanage to take part in the tournament too.
However, the tournament started early in the morning and they also had to take care of the birds, so it might be difficult.
The tournament is on a day when the store is closed, so maybe something will work out?
Well, that's not something I can decide on my own, so it's on hold.
Author's Note
*Celebrating PASH! Books' 10th anniversary
*Pre-orders for the YUNA figure have begun from PRISMA WING.
The first baby bears, Kumayuru and Kumakyu, are also included.
For more details, please see the activity report.
*PASH! Books, the publisher of Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
It seems like there are a lot of different campaigns going on.
For more details, please contact the PASH! Books & Bunko Editorial Department (formerly Twitter).
*Posting will be done every 4 days. (Sorry if this is not possible)
*If I take a break, I will inform you in the postscript, and if I am suddenly unable to post, I will inform you via X (formerly Twitter). (I'm sorry if I can't)
※The 133rd chapter of the comic "Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear" is currently available on PASH UP! neo (also available on NicoNico Manga and Piccoma)
※Episode 23 of the "Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear" spin-off is currently available on PASH UP! neo (also available on NicoNico Manga and Piccoma)
If you have time, please check out the comic version.
[Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear to be released]
Book 21 released on February 7, 2025. (Next volume, volume 22, in the works)
The 12th volume of the comic was released on August 3, 2024. (The release date for the next volume, 13, has not yet been decided.)
Comicalized Gaiden Volume 3 was released on December 20, 2024. (The release date for the next volume, Volume 4, has not yet been decided.)
The 11th volume of the paperback edition was released on October 4, 2024. (The deadline for the campaign to win a big acrylic stand featuring Yuna and Shuri on the cover is January 20, 2025. 20 lucky winners will receive a prize.) (The release date for the next volume, 12th volume, has not yet been decided.)
*Thank you to everyone who reports typos.
Some of the kanji have been corrected to match the book, so please understand that there are some parts that have not been corrected.
Translation Note
Thanks to TV.Station for correcting some mistakes.